The symptoms and treatment of childhood osteoporosis

Many people know that osteoporosis – a disease of old age, which develops mainly in women after 45 years. But not everyone knows that there is such a thing as juvenile osteoporosis, which occurs in children and adolescents.

As the disease develops

At a young age human bones are formed by cartilage (long skeleton) and the emergence of bone tissue (bone extension).

Two groups of causes of osteoporosis in young age:

• Increased deformation of the bone tissue.
• Decrease the rate of formation of the skeleton.

Not so long ago it was found that this balance can be violated at any stage of life. There is such concept, as congenital osteoporosis. It can occur as a result of violations of fetal development. It can induce:

1. prematurity of the fetus
2. case of fetal hypoxia or malnutrition impaired the functionality of the placenta
3. carrying twins or re-birth with a small period of time;
4. chronic disease of the mother or inadequate standards of hygiene work in the period of carrying a child;
5. various poisoning during pregnancy.

The Symptoms of juvenile osteoporosis may develop in the first year of a child's life. It can be affected by the following factors:

• malfunction of the intestine;
• feeding the children non-adapted mixture;
• lack of solar radiation and vitamin deficiencies (particularly inadequate amounts of vitamin D);
• to comply with hygiene regulations.

In children puberty, the disease may be caused by:

1. the use of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products;
2. an unbalanced diet
3. sedentary lifestyle
4. chronic diseases of the digestive tract, liver and kidney;
5. pathologies involving inflammation (connective tissue disease, tuberculosis)
6. exposure to radiation and toxins;
7. prolonged immobility for any reason.

Effect of drugs

To osteoporosis at a young age can lead not only various pathologies and diseases, but also the influence of certain drugs. To trigger the development of osteoporosis in children can:

• the glucocorticosteroid hormonal nature, which are usually prescribed for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases;
• anticonvulsants, used in epilepsy;
• chemotherapy substances;
• certain antibiotics;
• substance reduce acidity in the stomach (antacids), used to suppress heartburn.

Symptoms

Often in children osteoporosis has no specific symptoms. Only in the case when the bone is affected to a considerable extent, the child may complain of pain in the region of the ridge, legs, rapidly advancing fatigue while standing or while sitting. First the pain goes away, when the child has a definite position, but later it becomes constant and nagging.

Often about the presence of a teenager of osteoporosis begin to assume after re-fracture occurred without much injury. The most common places compromising the integrity of the bone tissue are the vertebral bodies, femoral neck, humerus, and ulna. If the child makes a sharp move, can be acute pain and symptoms of the modified form of the limb.

For a typical vertebral compression fracture, for which the offset is not typical.

Symptoms for suspected osteoporosis in a child:

1. low in comparison with other children of the same age growth;
2. reforming posture, which consists in the rounding of the thoracic area, straighten the SAG in the lower back, protruding abdomen;
3. when the curvature of the spine to one side on one side of the body can give rise to asymmetrical folds of skin.

If there is a congenital osteoporosis, the most severe radiological symptoms are:

• decrease in density and thinning of the outer bone layer;
• unusual shape of the vertebrae ("fish vertebrae").

The Symptoms of osteoporosis at a young age can be confused with symptoms of rickets. Today, in order to diagnose osteoporosis in children measure the mineral density of bone tissue. The technique is called densitometry.

the purposes and methods of treatment

Therapy is very good for the treatment of children diagnosed with juvenile osteoporosis, but only if you contact the experts on time. Treatment aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. Relieves symptoms and stabilize the patient's condition.
2. Restores the balance between bone tissue formation and its destruction.

To perform the first task as the treatment is assigned course of symptomatic therapy, which is as follows:

• assign the child a special diet, rich in proteins, calcium and phosphorus
• development of complex of physical exercises, which should be done not earlier than a quarter after the beginningcomplex treatment. Otherwise the probability of numerous violations in the skeleton
• if the symptoms of the disease the pain is present, treatment includes the appointment of anesthetic agents and to wear a special supportive corset.

In the course of treatment for combating the causes of disease development can be used with the following medications:

1. substances to suppress resorption of bone tissue. This calcitonine natural and artificial origin and estrogens
2. drugs that induce the formation of bone. They include growth hormone and steroids
3. means for normalization of the General condition of the patient. During treatment often use vitamin D.

Since the treatment of children with the use of hormonal substances may not be the best way to affect the health of children, preference is given to preparations of the latter group. As the prevention of osteoporosis at an early age can give children the preparations containing magnesium, calcium and vitamin D.